Chapter 5
Colonello wasn't surprised to see Luna waiting for him outside the RoR, however he did pause at seeing the twins standing beside her. His pause gave Ron, Hermione, and surprisingly Neville time to catch up with him. Colonello wasn't aware that Neville had followed them as well. He must have been more out of it than he thought.
Luna stepped forward to meet Colonello, wrapping him in a brief hug before letting go.
“Come Fratello. You need to blow off some steam before we talk. I’ll take care of the rest,” Luna assured him. Colonello patted her on the head, not trusting himself to speak yet. He brushed his flames lightly against hers, conveying just how grateful he was to have Luna there for him. She returned the gesture, telling him she understood. She always knew what Colonello needed and he was forever grateful for that.
Colonello didn't waste any more time before heading through the door Luna had summoned fro them, making a beeline towards the target range while Luna bearded everyone else towards a lounge area on the opposite side. Luna would keep them safe and away from Colonello until he was able to get his head on straight.
Normally, when emotions became too stressful, Colonello would spar with either Fon, Reborn, Lal, and in rare cases Viper. They were the only ones able to keep up with him and give him the challenge he needed. But there was an obvious flaw in that coping mechanism, since none of them were there. That left Colonello with only a handful of ways to blow off steam. Punching bag, workout, or target practice. The punching bag was his usual choice of substitute when there was no sparring partner available, but that wasn't the best choice for Colonello right now. He wasn't in the right headspace to be punching things. There was a high chance he would overdo it without someone else to break his focus. As much as he loved his friends, they weren’t fast enough to dodge a punch and Colonello would feel guilty if he gave any of them a broken nose for trying to help him. Verde had learned that lesson once before, but Verde was a lightning and a scientist. He was used to shielding himself with his flames in a split second when something blew up. Verde got punched in the face but Colonello’s hand broke. Incidentally, this event became the reason Colonello would spar with someone instead of going straight for the punching bag. If you asked him though, Reborn just didn’t want to be forced to be the doctor again. Not that it worked, since Reborn often had more injuries to heal instead.
Since Colonello had too much energy to try target practice, he settled on push-ups instead. They were simple enough to do, but would wear him out quickly since his younger body wasn't used to long hours of exercise like his older one. Plus, doing push-ups until he collapsed reminded him of being in the military. It was familiar and calming, which was exactly what he needed right now.
He didn't bother keeping count of how many he did, but he knew it wasn't nearly as much as he wanted to do. Still feeling restless, Colonello changed his position so he could do sit-ups and give his trembling arms a break. As much as he wanted to push himself to his absolute limits, Colonello still had enough rationality left to tell him how much of a foolish idea that was. The burning in his muscles was grounding in a way that just couldn’t be achieved through anything other than hard work. His body would be beyond sore the next day, but that was fine. Colonello was used to pushing through the pain, long before he became a soldier.
Before long, much too soon for Colonello’s preference, his abs were screaming in protest and Colonello knew he needed to stop. He hated how weak his body was right now. When he trained with Lal, they could go hours of grueling exercise without stopping. Merely taking a short water break on occasion to keep from becoming dehydrated. Now Colonello was out of breath in a fraction of that time. It was humiliating, even though logically he knew it wasn't his fault. It took years to build up the muscle and stamina required to reach that level. This body was that of a malnourished, scrawny thirteen year old with no prior conditioning. It would take time to whip it into shape. So far, the only advantage he’s found about coming to the past is that he has nothing but time. All the events he wants to change need careful planning and waiting until the right moment to strike. Colonello would fill that time fixing his body.
Physically, Colonello was exhausted. But his mind just didn't get the memo, so he decided to turn to his other form of stress relief. Target practice. Sometimes you just need to shoot something repeatedly until you feel better. This was his go to when he needed to shut his mind off for a while. He would shoot target after target until his brain was able to settle. There was one memorable occasion where he had actually fallen asleep while shooting and he had almost shot Skull when Fon woke him up the next morning.
Colonello’s favorite place to shoot was fondly dubbed his “nest” with how often he found himself out there. It got tot he point where Luche had packed a care package and left it there for him. Colonello was oddly touches by the gesture.
While the RoR didn't hold a candle to Colonello’s nest, the magic moving targets that auto repaired themselves made this his second favorite spot. He barely needed to think before conjuring the parts to assemble his gun, sliding them together with an ease that only came from many hours of practice. Lal used to make him disassemble and reassemble all types of guns until he could do it in his sleep. Reborn took that knowledge and upgraded it to his standards, which were basically god-like. Thanks to them, Colonello could take every single piece of a gun and assemble it while blindfolded and under heavy fire. Lal and Reborn had too much fun with that, although Colonello could see why. He was allowed to join in when they did the same exercise to Skull and Verde. Fon was a little cheat who disintegrated the bullets before they could hit him, and Viper conveniently went MIA every time they planned their session.
He may not have his trusted rifle anymore, but Colonello had something better. Magic. After over forty years without even the slightest hint of magic, it was hard to remember he had access to it at all. Each time he cast a spell had a warm feeling emanate from his core. Which is why Colonello couldn’t resist using his magic to conjure the parts for his rifle. Something he knew by heart down to the scratches on the screws. Assembling the parts and building his favorite weapon was something that would never get old.
Colonello lost himself in the rhythmic action of firing upon the targets. Each pull of the trigger resulted in a splinter of wood that just reset by the time Colonello destroyed the next one. He didn't know how much time passed as he sat there, firing shot after shot until he felt like himself again. He knew it must have been at least several hours, given the way his muscles had stiffened up from lack of movement.
With a sigh, Colonello got started disassembling and cleaning his gun. He didn't actually need to, given that he would vanish the parts once he was finished, but the routine was soothing and he wanted to put off the conversation with his friends just a little bit longer. He wanted to tell them everything, but “everything” was a lot and he wasn't sure where to start in all that mess. How do you tell your perfectly normal civilian friends that you joined the mafia and enjoy it?
Finally every part of the gun was squeaky clean, down to the last screw, and Colonello decided he had procrastinated enough. It was time to channel that soldier stupidity disguised as bravery (as Lal so affectionately named it) and face his friends. He couldn’t hide any longer. Although his flames labeled him as a soothing rain, Colonello was still a Gryffindor at heart. He tended to charge headfirst into things and figure it out as he went. So that’s exactly what Colonello would do this time. He would tell his friends the entire truth, then deal with whatever happened afterwards as it came.
Colonello walked over to the assembled group with his head held high and an easy going grin on his face, only to be intercepted by Hermione before he could cross the threshold into the lounge area.
“Oh my gosh Harry! Are you alright? Stupid question of course you aren’t alright after seeing someone die for you. And obviously she’s someone you care about because it’s your biggest fear to see her die so that makes it even more horrible and can I please give you a hug?” Hermione rushed out, not taking a single breath. It took Colonello a second to decipher what the bushy-haired girl had said, but when he did he smiled. It was small, barely noticeable honestly, but it was genuine.
“I’d really appreciate that, Mione,” Colonello said. That was all the permission she needed, flinging herself at Colonello and squeezing him tightly. He reached around her and placed his arms on her back, returning the hug. Hermione pulled away after a few seconds, much too quickly for Colonello, until he realized she was moving aside to give Ron his turn hugging him. Ron’s hold was just as tight as Hermmione’s had been and Colonello felt himself relaxing in his best friend’s hold.
Before the Arcobaleno, he had Ron and Hermione. Then later Neville, Luna, Fred, and George. They stayed with him through everything. Gave him a home and a family. Many of the things that bonded them together may not have happened for them, but Colonello remembered. And that was enough for him. He truly missed them after spending so long away from them. First in the military and then as an Arcobaleno. He missed just spending time with his first family. Colonello just wished the circumstances that brought them to this point were different, however it was parr the course for his brand of luck.
Colonello pulled back from Ron’s embrace, taking a step away to survey the others in the group. Fred, George, and Neville were all watching him with poorly hidden worry on their faces. Colonello felt bad about that, but knew logically there was nothing he could do to avoid it. True families worried when they cared about you.
Luna’s expression was different. To anyone else, they would see the whimsical smile she presented towards the world. Colonello was the only one who could see past the mask. Luna was studying him, searching for the signs only she could make out so she could give him what he needed. Luna was always there for him, even before Colonello realized he needed it. Colonello loved her all the more each time.
“Fratello. Go take a shower. Lunch will be ready by the time you are out,” Luna told him. Colonello knew better than to go against Luna. Plus he probably smelled from the earlier workout. A shower sounded heavenly. Still…
“After lunch, I have something to tell you all,” Colonello said to everyone. Neville reacted first, shaking his head furiously.
“You don't have to tell us anything,” he insisted. “We just want to make sure you are alright.”
Colonello smiled softly. “I’m not. Not right now. I will be, someday in the future, but it’s going to take a lot of time to reach that point.” It was the truth. He swore to himself he wouldn’t lie to them anymore, even if the truth was something he didn't want to share. They deserved to know.
“Oh Harry,” Hermione whispered, looking seconds away from hugging him again.
“It’s okay Hermione. I’m tired of hiding things from you all. You deserve to know the truth. No more hiding. No more lies. You probably won't believe me, because I don't even believe me sometimes, but I can’t keep this from you anymore.”
“We’ll believe you,” Fred and George spoke in unison, voices filled with such confidence that it took Colonello by surprise.
“Yeah mate. No matter what, we’re on your side,” Ron added. Colonello laughed.
“Oh believe me. I know that more than anything,” Colonello said. These people went through so much at his side. Without them, Colonello would have died long before graduating.
Luna stood, having grown impatient with their chattering, and came up behind Colonello to push him in the direction of a door off towards the side. She must have asked the room for a bathroom while they were talking, because it wasn't there previously.
“Shower Fratello. I’ll take care of them until you get back,” Luna told him.
“I know you will, Sorellina. You’re too good for me,” Colonello said, only for Luna to shake her head.
“You are the one who is too good for us.” Colonello didn't believe her, but knew better than to argue. Judging by the sigh the blonde let out, she knew what he was thinking but likewise didn't voice it aloud. They both knew it would take a lot of work to fix Colonello’s issues. Luckily they have each other to lean on.